South Yorkshire Times, January 26th, 1934
Rural Crafts
Hedge-Laying & Trimming
A Decaying Art
Nothing is more agreeable in the eye of a countryman than a well-trimmed hedge, which is a symbol of good husbandry, he speaks craftsmanship and reveals a “tidy mind.” The hedge-trimmer plays his part in keeping the countryside neat and attractive. Hedge trimmers ought to be ex-officio members of the Society for the Preservation of Rural England
For there is nothing more typical of Rural England than our thorn hedges. Here is a hedge trimmer at work. The picture is taken on a lane on a fringe of the estate of Captain Wentworth at Wombwell.
To lay a thorn hedge properly is more difficult than it looks. It is one of the jobs you cannot learn from books. The Forestry Commission have classes in which hedge-laying and trimming are taught by an expert, but they teach; you do not know whether you can trim a hedge or not until you try, and as a rule you fail. It takes years to acquire the knack. This man can tell you something about hedging and trimming. For three years in succession, he won the first prize in a hedge-trimming competition.
First the tools. There are mainly three, the slasher, a long wood handle with a very sharp blade on the end which you see him using; the hedging bill, a clipper like a parrot’s beak that nips off the tougher pieces as though they were soap; and a sharp spade for cleaning up the hedge bottom. Hedging and ditching are allied.
Suppose you were sent to lay and trim a long hedge dividing a country lane from a field. First of all, you must be sure that you commence at the right height. Three feet six inches is the approved height of thorn hedges in Yorkshire. Then you “open out,” laying and weaving as you go, always making certain that you fill up gaps in the bottom. You will be very badly scratched. The professional wears leathern gloves. If the hedge has been properly laid and trimmed it will be impossible for a sheep or dog to get through. Of course much depends on the condition of the hedge before you tackle it, The idea is to get a good “bottom.” If the hedge has been neglected for a year or two that will not be easy. If you get the hedge good in the bottom it will grow good at the top. The object to aim at is a “clean cut” and a “fast fence.” If the laying is so loose that the wind blows it about, the last state of the hedge may be worse than the first. Now is the time for hedging while the sap is down.
Now how much hedge-laying can you do in a day – say it is a normal hedge of 4ft 6ins high that has been allowed to grow shoots for the purpose? It is possible to lay one chain (22 yards), but in competitions such as are arranged in conjunction with the ploughing matches fourteen yards in five hours is usually the “stint.” That leaves no time for gossiping over the spade. And again, much depends on the original condition of the hedge. Young stuff is the best to work on. You can cut and bend it without breaking the bark. If the wood is old and cankered it will snap before it will bend, and the weaving process is difficult, if not impossible.
Hedges are not tended with the same meticulous care as in the “good old days” because farmers are unwilling or unable to pay for the work. But the fact remains that a good thorn hedge is the best and the cheapest type of fence because is self-maintained. You may still say, “Show me a good thorn fence, and I will show you a good farmer.”